Reinforced adhesive tapes

Abstract

A reinforced adhesive stock comprising a release liner on a carrier web and an adhesive layer in contact with the release liner. The adhesive layer comprises a mixture of an adhesive such as an anaerobic pressure-sensitive adhesive and a photopolymerizable compound. The photopolymerizable compound is capable of curing upon irradiating with actinic radiation. The adhesive layer contains strips of cured photopolymerizable compound which is cured by selectively irradiating with actinic radiation selective areas in strips within the adhesive layer. The resulting form strips of cured polymers provide a reinforcement to the adhesive layer inhibiting flow of the adhesive from the release liner. Additionally, the cured polymer strips provide added cohesive strength to the adhesive layer. A method of forming such adhesive stock is also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A reinforced adhesive stock comprising: (a) a carrier web;   (b) a release surface on the carrier web;   (c) an adhesive layer comprising an adhesive and a photopolymerizable compound on the release surface; and   (d) at least one radiation-cured polymeric strip of the photopolymerizable compound within the adhesive layer.   
     
     
       2. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one radiation-cured polymeric strip extends across the adhesive layer intersecting two edges of the adhesive layer. 
     
     
       3. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 1 wherein a radiation-cured polymeric strip extends longitudinally along each edge of the adhesive layer. 
     
     
       4. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 1 wherein the adhesive comprises a transferable and curable anaerobic adhesive. 
     
     
       5. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 1 wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive. 
     
     
       6. A reinforced adhesive stock comprising: (a) a carrier web;   (b) a release surface on the carrier web;   (c) a transferable adhesive layer on the release surface comprising in admixture a polymerizable acrylate ester capable of polymerizing upon exclusion of air and a photopolymerizable compound capable of polymerizing upon exposure to actinic radiation; and   (d) at least one radiation-cured polymeric strip of such photopolymerizable compound within the adhesive layer.   
     
     
       7. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 6 wherein the polymerizable acrylate ester comprises a monomer selected from the group consisting of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, the reaction product of hydroxypropyl methacrylate with methylene-bisphenyl-4,4'-diisocyanate, a polymer formed by methacrylate capping of a 1:1 adduct of toluene diisocyanate and hydrogenated 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, and mixture thereof. 
     
     
       8. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 6 wherein the photopolymerizable compound comprises from about 5 to about 20 percent by weight of the adhesive layer. 
     
     
       9. A reinforced adhesive stock as recited in claim 1 or 6 wherein such radiation-cured polymeric strip is about 1 millimeter in width.